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School board presses contractor over recurring HVAC failures at multiple Regional School District 18 schools
Summary
Board members said repeated control and installation defects in recent HVAC work left classrooms with temperature problems; the district says prime contractor Downs will fund an engineering consultant to force fixes and that warranties begin only after acceptance.
Regional School District 18 trustees pressed the prime contractor and its subcontractors on recurring HVAC failures at several district schools, saying repeated control and installation defects have produced hot and cold classrooms and must be fixed before the start of the school year.
Board members recounted a string of technical problems discovered during recent testing, including sensors that read wall temperature rather than room air and condensate drains installed against gravity. One board member said the district’s patience had run out and that the prime contractor would be held to its contractual responsibilities.
The board’s building committee reported Mile Creek School will enter a concentrated summer construction phase to finish interior work (media center, cafeteria, kitchen, stage, art and music rooms) and to complete HVAC commissioning. The district said contractor Downs will bring an outside engineering consultant at Downs’ expense to accelerate and document corrective work where subs remain unresponsive. District representatives emphasized that warranties will not start until the district accepts systems as functioning.
Business Manager (name withheld) told the board the troubleshooting and additional oversight are being managed through the prime contractor and are not currently charging additional district budget dollars. "This is not an impact in the budget," the business manager said, noting the prime contractor’s work on the corrections so far has been covered by the contractor.
Board and staff described installation errors and quality-control failures as part of the problem — for example, hard‑to‑trace control settings, improper piping choices and sensor placement that produced misleading temperature readings. The board said some failures appear to be attributable to equipment, others to subcontractor installation, and that Downs is contractually responsible to hold subcontractors accountable and to resolve outstanding defects.
The district also said its architect, commissioning agent and an engineering firm will participate in sign‑offs as areas are corrected. Board members said they are meeting weekly on the projects and will continue to press the contractor to finish the remaining punchlist items before school reopens.
Next steps: Downs will engage an independent engineering consultant at its expense, district staff will continue weekly oversight meetings, and the district will delay formal acceptance — and start of warranties — until the commissioning team signs off on equipment performance.
